Google’s 4 Micro-Moments May Be More Local Than You Think

Prior to Google making their 4 core micro moments, there was a historical precursor to this very theory that most SEOs don’t realize. Enter Julia Child and her wire whisk. On her 1960’s cooking show, she demonstrated how to use a wire whisk on her cooking show.

Shortly after that, the entire city of Pittsburgh sold out of wire whisks. While this story may not seem at all relevant to SEO or Google’s 4 micro moments, it actually very much is. Reason being, it encapsulates all four of Google’s micro moments.

Julia and her whisk were actually a precursor to Google’s theory. For instance, I want to know. Viewers were watching a local broadcast of her in Pittsburgh because they wanted to know how to make an omelet. Then, those same viewers went out and scoured the city in order to find the right whisk. Next, they bought the whisk from a local retailer. Finally, they went back home and made the very omelet, which inspired their purchase.

This story is a fascinating historical example of how micro moments can and truly are almost completely local. Granted there are various factors that can come into play. However, in most cases, these 4 micro moments often times lead to local purchases, rather than not.

In order to show you an example of this theory, it’s important to first understand how Google defines micro-moments. According to Google a micro-moments are “critical touch points within today’s consumer journey, and when added together, they ultimately determine how that journey ends.” It further goes on identify mobile as the great facilitator to all this activity. Which is an important factor when evaluating the 4 core micro-moments. It’s said that about 85% of web searches are used on a mobile device. This means, that users can search anytime from anywhere, making micro-moments possible, at well, any moment! Here’s an example of the 4-step process, and how it plays into being local.

Let’s take Betty. Betty is a homeowner on a budget. One day she looks at her wall and sees a crack. Instead of calling someone to fix it she decides she wants to fix it herself. So, she Google’s a “How To” video in order so she can teach herself how to fix the crack. That was the first micro-moment. Betty wanted to know how to fix the crack. Enter steps two and three. Betty watches the video and sees the personality using a certain kind of putty. Seeing how the putty worked well for the personality in the video, she decides to go out to her local hardware store and buys the putty. Then, she goes back home and using the knowledge she gained from the video and the putty she bought, she fixes the crack.

This was a perfect example of how those 4 Micro-Moments actually lead to a local purchase. But again, there had to be several factors involved. The video, the brand of putty, and the store she decided to go too. So, how did she conclude which store to choose? Well, this is where it’s important for you as local business owner to realize the steps you can take for Betty to choose you. Let’s say you’re the hardware store owner, and the location is Indianapolis. Because you are on top of your Indianapolis SEO game, when Betty Googled “How To Fix A Crack In The Wall”, you anticipated such a thing and you were actually the personality she was watching on the “How To” video. She then noticed the name of your hardware store and searched to learn more. Again, you were prepared and had a local landing page waiting for her at the end of her search. It mapped out where you were, how to get there, and hours of operation. Realizing how close she was, Betty then scooted on over to your store where she bought the exact brand of putty you used in the video.

While this is just an illustration, it goes to show when you’re vigilant and prepared how you can turn an person’s micro-moments into local micro-moments that benefit your business. All it takes is an understanding of how micro-moments work, having a strong SEO game (or wherever you are located), and have your website and store prepared for customers. If you can do those things, then you are sure to excel as a local business.